Gallagher, Superintendent Frank Till and a few others in on the surprise waited while Principal Cynthia Hanna lured Balchunas to her office, telling him he had to calm an angry parent of a student in his classroom.

Balchunas' look of concern quickly faded when he opened the door and saw Gallagher, who introduced himself.

"I know who you are," Balchunas said, laughing. "I knew there had to be something going on. My parents don't get irate."

He received a $5,000 award from Burdines, which he says he'll spend on his students, his car and a new suit for the statewide award ceremony in May.

Gallagher was in South Florida for a Fort Lauderdale news conference on technology. He phoned other finalists to congratulate them.

Balchunas, a Bronx, N.Y., native who has been teaching for five years, won the local award in February. He said he chose teaching as a career despite an early dislike of school and tries to make students understand his love of learning and his concern for them.

"I feel uncomfortable calling myself special, but I do have a vision for children," he said. "They are the means by which society will progress."

His 32 students greeted news of his award with cheers. They say "Mr. B" makes learning fun.

"Mr. B is kind of special because ..." said Sarah Owens, 9, struggling for the right description. "It's hard to explain."

Parents say that it's because Balchunas pays special attention to their children. Sheila Joseph, 39, cried and hugged him when she found out about the award. Her daughter was in Balchunas' classroom last year.

"He is so involved with the students," Joseph said. "My daughter ... likes all her teachers, but she loves Mr. B."

Hanna said she hopes the award helps others in the state understand that schools like Fairway, which the Department of Education awarded a D last year based on standardized test scores, has excellent teachers.

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Other finalists are Onete Vasquez of Palm Harbor, Susan Roark of Fort Pierce, James Manos of LeCanto and a fourth teacher to be named Monday. The statewide award, to be presented in Orlando, carries a $10,000 cash prize.